Skin Care: Coffee Sugar Bath Scrub DIY

Hiya!

Today I decided to get a little crafty and try some new DIY (Do it Yourself) projects while I waited for my boyfriend to get off work. I was on Pinterest when I found this really cool recipe for a DIY Coffee Sugar Bath Scrub. I love coffee so this caught my eye very fast. Here is what I did!

Coffee Bath Sugar Scrub:

What you will need-

-1/2 Cup of Fresh Coffee Grounds of your favorite coffee!
-1/2 of Brown Sugar
-1 Tbs of Coconut Oil
-1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
-Bowl
-Mixing Spoon
-Mason Jar

How to Make-

-Mix Coffee, Brown Sugar, Coconut Oil and Olive Oil together in a mixing bowl 
-After mixing you may add more olive oil if the mix is not "paste like"
-Take your mix and spoon it into a mason jar
-Take your mix into the shower
-Rub your scrub in circular motion all over your body (even face) 
-Rinse well

This recipe is super easy and smells amazing! The benefits of using this scrub on your body has a huge list starting from a natural moisturizer to help the decrease the appearance of cellulite! After using this scrub your skin will literally be glowing! I just used it and wow I look like a brazilian model. The coffee in the scrub adds caffeine to your skin which tightens and firms the skin. You will notice after using this scrub you will be super awake from the caffeine in the coffee. I ditched my long process of putting lotion on my body after the shower because this took care of it all! I am in love with this scrub! Try it out and see what it does for you:) 

Health: Soda Consumption

Hiya!

Soda is big business in today's world and nothing will be slowing it down anytime soon. The revenues of both Coca-Cola and PepsiCo topped 100 billion dollars last year and the number is growing. Very few people go a day without 1 or 2 cans of soda. Although this is very good for companies such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, the consumption of soda is a car wreck waiting to happen not only for you but your health in general. I myself have not had a soda in almost 3 years and I firmly believe that taking soda out of my daily diet has improved my health significantly. The list of side effects that soda has is beyond what you could imagine. If you type as "Coca-Cola facts" in google, you will see more "Coca-Cola side effects" more than anything written about the benefits of the drink. To start things off here is a list of facts about soda consumption and what it will do to your body. Lets start with a scenario:

What happens to Your Body Within an Hour of Drinking a Coke:

Within the first 10 minutes,10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake, and the only reason you don’t vomit as a result of the overwhelming sweetness is because phosphoric acid cuts the flavor.

Within 20 minutes, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.

Within 40 minutes, caffeine absorption is complete; your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, and your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream.

Around 45 minutes, your body increases dopamine production, which stimulates the pleasure centers of your brain – a physically identical response to that of heroin, by the way.

After 60 minutes, you’ll start to have a sugar crash.

www.articles.mercola.com

Okay people, this is just ONE HOUR after the consumption of a soda drink. Think about what you are doing to your bodies everyday when you drink that Mt.Dew and Pepsi you oh so love. One can of soda holds your entire recommended daily sugar intake. When you drink 2-3 or more cans a day and you are wondering why you can't loose that extra weight...now your know why. Let's take a look and the top ingredients found in soda drinks. 

Top Ingredients in a Can of Soda.

• Phosphoric Acid: Which can interfere with the body's ability to use calcium, leading to osteoporosis or softening of the teeth and bones.
• Sugar: It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Most sodas include over 100 percent of the RDA of sugar. Sugar is so bad for your health in so many ways.
• Aspartame: This chemical is used as a sugar substitute in diet soda. There are over 92 different health side effects associated with aspartame consumption including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, emotional disorders and epilispsy/seizures. ( BTW THIS IS RAT POSION)
• Caffeine: Caffeinated drinks cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps, birth defects, and perhaps some forms of cancer.
• Tap Water: I recommend that everyone avoid drinking tap water because it can carry any number of chemicals including chlorine, trihalomethanes, lead, cadmium, and various organic pollutants. Tap water is the main ingredient in bottled soft drinks.

GROSS YOU ARE DRINKING RAT POISON! How disgusting is that?! Now if you still aren't convinced about the side effects of soda let me hit you with these facts...

1. Soda will increase your cholesterol levels by up to 11%
2. Thanks to the sugar and acid in soda, it is bad for your teeth and causes tooth decay
3. Contributes to weight gain and obesity
4. Drinking soda can increase your risk of having kidney stones
5. Contains phosphoric acid which increases your risk of osteoporosis
6. Causes dehydration and contains pH levels that advance the aging of your skin
7. Studies show that drinking two or more sodas a week increases your risk of developing cancer
8. Drinking too much soda can cause insomnia due to the amount of caffeine
9. The carbonation in soda can cause acid reflux or heartburn
10. According to a 10-year study, individuals who drink two or more sodas a day have a 500 percent waist expansion in comparison to those who do not drink soda!
11. Diet sodas contain the artificial sweetener aspartame which has been shown to cause seizures, migraines, visual problems, anxiety, and other disorders.
12. Mountain Dew, Fresca and other citrus-flavored sodas contain Brominated Vegetable Oil(BVO) which has been banned in over 100 countries but not in the US.  Studies show that BVO, which is a flame retardant, can cause damage to the heart and muscles, liver damage, neurological conditions, and more.
13. Aluminum cans and plastic bottles of some sodas have linings that contain Bisphenol A(BPA) which can cause fertility problems, developmental and behavioral problems in infants and children, heart problems, and other disorders.
14. Increases your risk of diabetes
15. Affects your ability to regulate your appetite

Just one little can of soda does all this damage. I have a confession to make; I love root beer. It was my favorite soda to drink of all time. Since I made the decision to quit and better my health, I am so happy with myself and how good I feel. I noticed instantly that after I quit drinking soda I had alot more energy, I didn't feel sluggish, I had white teeth, my acne healed better, my metabolism boosted and I lost weight. I went from 160 to 140 in just a few months. Taking all of that sugar out of my body was a blessing. I feel like my body was thanking me! Do your body a favor and don't hurt it with harsh soda. Take care of the skin you are living in because you only get one of them! Healthy alternatives to soda is WATER! You can never get enough water in your system! But if water is too bland for your try Gatorade or Powerade; drinks that will aid in hydration. HYDRATION IS KEY! The fastest way to get on the path to a healthy lifestyle is to make the first move and stick with it. Once you make that final decision to not drink another soda than the hard part is over! You can do it:)

-Karissa

Product Reviews! Top 5 Acne Face Products That Will Work For You!

Hiya!

I am a skin fanatic! I hate acne and blemishes so much. I love skin care and shopping for new products to try. Over the past few years here is some products that I have tried myself and have seen success in them. Here we go!

Neutrogena Oil Free Acne Wash:

In my early teen years when my acne started to develop; this was the first product I purchased. It is a very gentle cleanser that is good for all types of skin. I used it in the shower and I don't remember my face ever being dry after washing. The smell is very clean and I feel does a very good job of overall cleansing. When I need to detox my face from all the makeup I was wearing or need a good new start to a skin care routine I use this product for 1-2 weeks. 

Price- $5.49 

Where to Purchase?- Drugstores (Target, Walmart etc)

www.neutrogena.com

Clean & Clean Continuous Control Acne Cleanser:

I started using this product a few months ago and I still use it today. What I really like about this product is that when you are washing your face it starts to create a tingle. In this product is acne medicine that is deposited inside your pores during the washing process. The tingle feeling that you will feel is the pores opening and acne medicine going into your pores and fighting off acne. This product will leave your face dry after use so I recommend using a face moisturizer after cleansing. 

Price- $6.59

Where to Purchase?- Drugstores (Target, Walmart etc)

www.cleanandclear.com

Clarisonic Acne Daily Clarifying Cleanser:

This is the product I am currently using now. This is on my list as one of my favorites because it gets rid of acne QUICK. I use this product with my Clarisonic ARIA and I feel that they pair together well. The product does not leave your face quite as dry but I still use face moisturizer. The smell is also a very clean smell and the color of the cleanser is a baby blue. Inside the product is Vitamin C, Japanese Green Tea and Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Extract. I will be continuing to use this product. 

Price- $27.00

Where to Purchase?- Clarisonic.com

www.clarisonic.com

Clinique Liquid Facial Soap:

I have found lots of success with Clinique products and I still continue to use them today. Clinique has a process called the 3 Step Cleansing System. It consists of Cleanse, Exfoliate and Moisturize. When using this product with their system I see lots of success. Clinique has different types of products for different types of skin so it is customizable. This cleanser will dry your face out very fast so do not skip the moisturize step with this product! 

Price- $16.50

Where to Purchase?- Clinique.com, Dillards, Macy's, Sephora, Ulta etc. 

www.clinique.com

Clean & Clean Deep Action Cream Cleanser:

My mom bought me this product thinking it was the other clean and clear face wash I have mentioned earlier. I decided to give it a try because I had it so why not! This face cleanser also has a tingle to it just like Clean & Clear Continuous Control. This product comes with acne fighting medicine and also can be used as a make-up remover. It battles deep down into your pores to clean out anything that can irritate or CAUSE ACNE! This product is up there on my list of top favorites. The smell is very desirable and it is in the form of a cream so it's very gentle. This is designed to clean deep into the pores and that is exactly what I feel it does.

Price-$5.49

Where to Purchase?- Drugstores (Target, Walmart etc)

www.cleanandclear.com

There you have it! I firmly believe that these products will help you fight acne and lead you on the path to clean and beautiful skin. Try them out and let me know how they work for you! 

-Karissa

Denver Mission Trip: Post Trip!

Hiya!

Im back! Denver was such a blast and I couldn't have imagined a better place to serve than my favorite city in the entire world! Here is what I did over the week!

Sunday: We left my town in the morning around 8:30 central time and headed to Denver in three 15 passenger vans and 1 expedition. There was a total of 40 people on our trip. We stopped in Colby, KS for lunch and then continued on to Denver! We reached Denver at around 5:30 mountain time and unpacked at the CSM housing site. CSM (Center for Student Missions) is the organization that was our host for the week. The girls slept on bunks with foam mattresses and the guys slept in a church across the street on the floor. Each place we slept had advantages and disadvantages. The girls got 4 showers but the guys had 1; the guys had AC and the girls didn't. Not having AC did suck but we managed to make it through! We met with our CSM hosts and we went over the rules and guidelines for the trip. After this meeting we went to a Vietnamese Restaurant in Lower Downtown Colorado. Part of the program at CSM is that we try ethnic food for dinner every night. At the Vietnamese Restaurant we had Pho, a Vietnamese traditional soup. I thought the soup was very good and they gave you a ton of it too! After dinner we got in the vans and headed on the Denver Prayer Tour where we go to some of the sites we will be serving at and other landmarks in Denver. On the prayer tour we pray for the sites we see and some of the problems we will encounter on that site. This tour lasted 2 hours but it was very useful for our future days to come.

Monday: My group started our day off at Safari Thrift ( a thrift store for African and Asian refugees). Safari Thrift not only serves as a thrift store but also as a learning center for refugees to come and learn english and so on. For our service we were in charge of sorting all of the donated clothes and teaching one of the refugees small english. His name was Mohad and he is from Somalia. My friends and I helped Mohad sort clothes and learn simple english such as identifying what a shirt is and what pants look like. It was a very good feeling to help a refugee learn english.  After Safari Thrift we went on a Plunge which is where you are sent out into the city with cards that tell you where to go; think of it sorta like a scavenger hunt. We went to the five points area of Denver which has an intersection of 5 streets and also is known to be a spot for drugs and gangs. The plunge took us to places such as the Denver Public Library, Denver Fire Station and Agape Church which has a program for the homeless.  Part of the plunge was we were given 5 dollars to meet someone's need. My group found a woman sleeping under a tree and we thought she could use the $5. We slipped the $5 dollars in her hand so when she would wake up she maybe would have had her prayers answered. After the plunge we went to the Denver Senior Support Services where we served dinner and spent a few hours listening to the seniors. They has really inspiring stories and some sad stories. For dinner that night we went to a Lebanese Restaurant. We ate a wrap that had Pita bread, beef and lamb, hummus, cucumbers and tomatoes. IT WAS DELICIOUS! :D

Tuesday: My group started off our day at Volunteers of America Senior Center. My and my friend were in charge of running BINGO and other members of our group played with the Seniors. This was one of our favorite parts of the trip! The people get so into the game! its so funny! After we went to have lunch in a park that was by a river than ran through down town. I think the river was man made because people were rafting in the river! Our guys decided it was a great idea to jump in the river and be dragged by the current. Across the river was a Starbucks and of course I had to stop in a get a drink! Later in the day we went on the "Meet a Need" activity. Our host gave our group $10 and we had to go find people and ask how we could meet their needs. We helped 7 people that day! We bough socks, water, food etc. One homeless lady we met had just lost her son and it was the anniversary of his passing that day. Her purse, money and I.D had been stolen the night before and all she wanted to do was jump in front of a bus and end the pain she said. My group and I talked to her for about an hour and told her the God has better plans for her and that her son was in a better place. At that point we has used all of our money on the last 6 people but to meet her need we just enlightened her on Christ and that was more than enough for her. Over the trip we saw her multiple times and she says we were a blessing to the city. Word got around fast that our church was in Denver and we were helping. After the meet a need we went to another Volunteers of America site. This site was a rescue mission and we served dinner for 200 homeless people. For out dinner that night we had good ole mexican food! We ate stuffed sopapillias (yes I know I spelled that wrong). I have never had them before and it was very good! To end the day we went to a local favorite ice cream places called Little Man's Ice Cream. Once again, very good as well!

Wednesday: We started our day off at the Denver Rescue Mission @ 5:00am! We served breakfast to about 300 homeless people from all ages. We actually ran out of food and had to make more! We then headed down for a tour of Lower Downtown Denver (Lo Do). We learned about how the Ball Park brought lots of business to Lo Do but also kicked out a lot of housing sites for the homeless. In the middle of the day our entire youth group went a had some ice cream! That night we had community night where our youth group all got together and played water games and had a nice BBQ! After dinner we had worship.

Thursday: In the morning we went to the Denver Voice. The Denver Voice is a newspaper for the homeless that is sold by the homeless. The DV is a chance for the homeless to have a job and spread their word. Later that night we went on an activity called Emergon. We were put in a scenario where we were a teen runaway and had to survive in the city for a night. We were given $2 dollars for dinner and we ran through the city for 5 hours. It was tough but we made it!

Friday: Before we left for home we drove to Ft. Collins and went white water rafting! It was a blast! After that we started to head home and it was the longest drive ever! We finally got home at around 1-2 am. I came home and crashed!!

The trip was very eye opening and I had the time of my life!

-Karissa

Fast Food isn't Healthy. Think Again!

Hiya!

When starting a new diet or making a plan to be healthy; fast food is out of the question. Popular fast food restaurants such as Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, Wendy's, and McDonald's have been run down by health gurus everywhere...until today. I'm going to show you how you can eat at fast food restaurant chains and still live a guilt free healthy lifestyle. The secret to being able to eat healthy at fast food restaurants is making smart choices. Here is some healthy alternatives to eat at popular fast food restaurants...

McDonald's- Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken and low- fat balsamic vinaigrette plus Fruit 'n Yogurt Parfait. (375 calories, 9.5g fat. 4g saturated)

-Grilled Honey Mustard Snack Wrap plus small french fries.( 480 calories, 19g fat, 5g saturated)

Taco Bell- Fresco Steak Burrito Supreme plus Black Beans. (430 calories, 10.5g fat, 3g saturated)

-Fresco Chicken Soft Taco plus Pintos 'n' Cheese. (330 calories, 10.5g fat, 4g saturated)

Dunkin' Donuts- Egg White Veggie Wake-Up Wrap plus hash browns. (350 calories, 18g fat, 4.5 saturated)

-Tuna Salad Sandwich on an English Muffin. (390 calories, 23g fat, 3.5 saturated)

Subway- 6" Subway Club on 9 Grain Wheat Bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, cucumbers, and sweet onion sauce plus apple slices. (445 calories, 6g fat, 1.5g saturated)

-Oven Roasted Chicken Salad with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, olives, and cucumbers with honey-mustard dressing plus Yogurt Parfait. (400 calories, 6g fat, 1.5 saturated)

Chipotle- 3 Barbacoa (braised beef) Tacos on soft corn tortillas with lettuce and tomato salsa. (405 calories, 10g fat, 2.5 saturated)

-Vegetarian Burrito Bowl with brown rice, black, beans, fajita vegetables, lettuce, and roasted chili-corn salsa. (385 calories, 7g fat, 1g saturated)

Wendy's- Half Smoked Turkey Breast on Artisan Whole Grain Loaf plus Low-Fat Garden Vegetables with Pesto Soup (from the you pick two menu). (320 calories, 6g fat, 1g saturated)

-Power Mediterranean Chicken Salad (no bacon) plus Baked Lays. (430 calories, 17g fat, 2.5 saturated)

Burger King- Whopper Jr. (no mayo) plus value sized onion rings. (410 calories, 18g fat, 5.5 saturated)

-Veggie Burger plus apple slices. (440 calories, 16g fat, 2.5 saturated)

KFC- 4 Hot Wings plus Sweet Corn. (380 calories, 16g fat, 2.5 saturated)

-Kentucky Grilled Chicken Breast plus mashed potatoes without gravy. (310 calories, 10g fat, 7.5 saturated)


Here is some options for the drive thru!

Burger King- 4 piece Chicken Nuggets. (190 calories, 11g fat, 2g saturated)

Chipotle- Cheese Quesadilla (kids size). (190 calories, 11g fat, 6g saturated)

Dunkin' Donuts- Cinnamon Cake Munchkins. (120 calories, 7g fat, 3g saturated)

KFC Original Recipe Chicken Drumstick. (120 calories, 7g fat, 1.5 saturated)

McDonald's- Vanilla Soft Serve Cone. (170 calories, 4.5g fat, 3g saturated)

Panera- Power Breakfast Egg White Bowl with Roasted Turkey. (190 calories, 7g fat, 1g saturated)

Starbucks- Chocolate Cake Pop. (140 calories, 7g fat, 4g saturated)

Subway- Kid's Roast Beef Sandwich. (200 calories, 3g fat, 1g saturated)

Taco Bell- Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco. (160 calories, 10g fat, 3.5g saturated)

Wendy's- Jr, Original Chocolate Frosty. (200 calories, 5g fat, 3.5 saturated)

As you can see there is PLENTY of options that you can choose from to still eat at fast food restaurants and live a healthy lifestyle! It's all about making smart choices! So next time when you go to a fast food restaurant; don't feel guilty! Choose one of these options and you will be in good shape:) 

Have a great day!

Health: Apple Cider Vinegar. What can it do for you?

Hiya!

Today I will be talking about this amazing product called apple cider vinegar. I am sure that a lot of you have heard of this product. I have to say that this product is simply amazing and has so many benefits for your health\. Apple cider vinegar can work both inside your body and out which is something you can't beat! Here is the scoop on what apple cider vinegar can do for you!

Apple Cider Vinegar is one of natures best kept secrets for your health...until now! Actually ACV has been around for centuries but now it is making its appearance on beauty shelves everywhere. ACV has been shown to reduce acid reflux, diabetes and obesity!

Where can you purchase ACV? - grocery stores. ITS THAT EASY

ACV has a huge list of uses and benefits:

- When applied to a cotton ball you can rub the ACV soaked cotton ball on your teeth to remove stains.
- When applied to a blemish on your face it will clear it up over night.
- Mixed with 1 part ACV and 6 part water, you can drink it and it will fight acne, aid in weightless, lower glucose levels, improve digestion and prevent CANCER!
- Take 1/2 a teaspoon of ACV and mix with a cup of water. Use as a rinse after shampooing and your hair will be shiny and have tons of body.
- ACV regulates the pH of your skin so mix 1 part ACV with 6 part water and use as a toner for your face.
- Add a cup of ACV to your bath to reduce soreness. 
- Take 1 part AVC and 1 part water then spray it on your dog or cat to repel fleas. 
- AVC can be used to remove stains in toilet bowls.

As you can see this little product does the job you would think it would take God himself to fix/cure. Truly ACV is a miracle product! Have fun shopping for your Apple Cider Vinegar and using it to improve your health:)

Have a great day!

-Karissa

Denver Mission Trip

Hiya!

In exactly 6 days I will be leaving for Denver, Colorado for a mission trip in West Denver.  I am excited to go but I am also really nervous and kinda having second thoughts. I have always wanted to do mission work and I am excited that I am going on this trip. I am hoping that if this trip is very eye opening and something that really touches my heart then I am planning on doing bigger trips to countries such as Nicaragua and Mexico. My reason for having second thoughts is that Denver is my favorite city on this Earth. I plan on living out in Denver sometime in the future or whenever God calls me there. What is giving me second thoughts is that do I really want to go to my favorite city and see people struggle to survive?. The list of what I can't do while I am doing mission work is beyond what  I thought it would be. I am more scared then excited to go to Denver now. I know I am doing a good thing and this is something I want to do; I just am getting the butterflies right now. While on this trip I am only allowed to take 5 min showers, sleep on the floor and not use my cell phone till night time. This will be a great challenge for me but if I am to fully understand where the homeless is coming from I must live as if I were them. I will be serving with a team that I have been assigned to and we will go out during the day and do our mission work. Part of our work is serving in homeless shelters, working in soup kitchens and working in the local food bank. The more I talk about it the more I know that what I am doing is what God has guided me to do. I can't wait to come back home and see how much I have changed and become a better person because I have done work that God has led me to do. It says right in the bible that we have a duty to help the homeless. Over the course of next week I will not be writing  any blog posts because obviously I will be gone! Wish me luck :)

-Karissa

Birthday Haul!

Hiya!

On Monday I had my 16th birthday! It feels good to be 16 now. Over the week I have been celebrating with my family with a meal at Schlotzsky's Deli, cards coming in the mail, and lots of amazing gifts that are very sentimental. Here's my haul :)

My parents purchased a MacBook Pro for me. I am in love with my new gift and I use it all the time. When school starts up I will be using it for my classes. I asked for an MacBook because last semester at school I was working on a final essay on my Mac desktop at school. I used my flash drive to transfer the essay so I could work on it further at home on my PC. BAD IDEA! I tried to open the document and my PC erased it completely! I did save the document onto my Mac at school so I was able to retrive   my essay back. Basically I got a Mac so I would not have a scare like that again. I will defiantly be using this MacBook Pro for a very long time :)

My boyfriend Matthew got me a beautiful diamond necklace! He really is the best :) He also brought me a delicious cake, a ballon, 2 bath and body works sprays, nail polish and a body lotion and shower gel 2 in 1 bottle. He is so good to me! The necklace is beautiful and I love to wear it. Looks like I have some work to do for his birthday! ;)

My Grandmother gave me her ruby ring that she got for he 16th birthday! This ring is 47 years old and for it being an old ring it's in wonderful shape! I love it so much :) 

I had a wonderful birthday and thank you to everybody who made it great :)

-Karissa

Recipe: Fourth of July Strawberry Dessert

Hiya!

Yesterday was Fourth of July and I hope everybody had an amazing time celebrating our freedom! We had a big party at my house where my family and friends came over for a cook-out and fireworks! Matthew and I were in charge of dessert and this is what we came up with!

Pretty Cool huh?! Here is how we made it!

What you will need:
-Large Strawberries
-White Chocolate Candy
- Blue Sprinkles

How to make it:
- Clean your large strawberrys with water
- Unwrap your white chocolate candies and put them in a microwave safe bowl (about 12 candies)
- Melt your white chocolate in the microwave for about 1 min. Stir every 10 seconds
- Dump your blue sprinkles in a bowl or cup for dipping
- Take your strawberry and dip in the melted white chocolate
- Let the chocolate drip for a few seconds then turn it over facing up
- Blow on the white chocolate to cool it down
- Wait for it to harden a little but just enough that it is sticky
- Dip the chocolate covered strawberry in the blue sprinkles
-Place on a plate for drying
- After all strawberries are dipped and placed you may eat! 
(If you will not be eating the strawberries for awhile put then in the fridge)

And that's it! It was lots of fun to make! You can change the color of the sprinkles to make it for any holiday! Have fun eating your strawberries :)

-Karissa

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Red Potatoes

Hiya!

About a week ago I found this recipe on an Instagram page that I follow. It was so easy and I was feeling creative that night! The recipe that I found was pretty basic so I added my little twist to make it extra tasty:)

What you will need:
- 2lbs of Red Potatoes ($1.29 a pound at my store)
-Olive Oil
-Garlic Powder
-Seasoning Salt
-Pepper
-Parmesan cheese
-Rosemary
-Parsley
-Pan to Roast

How to Cook
-Preheat Oven to 400 degrees
- Cut your potatoes in half then cut the halves in half again.(Total of 4)
- Put cut potatoes in roasting pan (Spread out)
- Drizzle olive oil onto the cut potatoes till covered
- In this order put the seasonings on the cut potatoes
*Garlic
*Seasoning Salt
*Pepper
*Parmesan cheese
*Rosemary
*Parsley
(I LOVE CHEESE so I put a little extra cheese on mine!)
 -Put in the oven at 400 degrees 
- Cook for 25 mins. (Turn potatoes half way to get an even color)

( I left mine in for about 35 mins because I wanted that rich golden color)

And that's it! It's really easy and DELICIOUS! I know you will love it! I made this a side for some Marinated Salmon. I got lots of compliments :)

Have a Great Day!

-Karissa

Drink Review: Starbucks Classic Skinny Vanilla Latte

Hiya!

Today I will be doing a review on the Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte! I got this drink free today because at Starbucks they give you a free drink or a free food item on your birthday! yay! I was curious about this drink because obviously I have never tried it till today and I was also curious as to what "skinny" means. Here we go!


Where to purchase this drink?- Starbucks Locations

What is a Vanilla Latte?- Starbucks Signature espresso, creamy steamed milk and classic vanilla syrup. 

What does "Skinny" mean?- Beverages made with non-fat milk, sugar-free syrup and no whip

Did you know

Nonfat milk is often referred to as skim milk. The term comes from the process of skimming butterfat from the milk.

Benefits of going "Skinny"- It is healthier all around but still packs tons of flavor and espresso!

Calories in a Skinny Vanilla Latte- 120

First Impression- I got this drink in the "Tall" size just to try it out the first time and that worked for me. I noticed that the cup was not very hot. I took a drink and it was warm but not hot like I thought it would be like. I still really liked it! I took a sip of the foam on top which took my breath away but once you get down to the actual drink I really enjoyed it!

Price- $2.00-$5.00

Size-
 Starbucks has many different sizes for this drink
Hot Drinks
- Tall 12oz
- Grande 16oz
- Venti 20oz


Taste- For a "Skinny" drink that has the skinny features to it I thought the drink packed tons of flavor. I like my coffee a little on the flavor side but this was almost too much for me! I did add 3 packets of Splenda to my drink so I think that is why I found it sweet. Next time I will lay off on the Splenda and maybe do just 1 packet. I could really taste the flavor when I got down to the bottom of the drink. It almost tasted like hot chocolate to be honest! I really did not mind it! When you open the lid you will notice the foam. I had to stir the foam because the taste of foam is not that good :p Overall I really liked the taste of this drink. The "tall" size was perfect for me. Anything more I know would be too much. 

Would I recommend this to a friend?- Yes I would! Very good drink even in the summer when it is hot. 

 Did you know

Vanilla planifolia, the true origin of the vanilla flavor, is indigenous to Mexico where it is pollinated by tiny humming birds and a bee called Melipona.

That's my review!  I will post new reviews for the new drinks I try! Upcoming posts
- Birthday Haul
- Roasted Red Potato Recipe (Easy, Fast and Delicious)
- Easy and Healthy Breakfast that Satisfies the Sweet Tooth
- Starbucks Cold Cup and Ice Cubes

Have a Great Day :)

-Karissa